About Me

HI!

I’m Madhura and my world revolves around food! My life’s ambition is to help make our food system safer, more sustainable, and sufficient for everyone.

I am a social scientist by training and have a keen interest in the intersection of public policy, food law, and sustainability. Originally from Mumbai, India, my undergraduate education focused on food, hospitality, and tourism studies. In 2016, I moved to the Netherlands to study at Wageningen University. I followed an MSc in food safety, specialising in supply chain operations and food law. I am currently pursuing a PhD at Maastricht University’s Food Claims Centre Venlo in the Netherlands. My research investigates food waste valorisation opportunities in the context of EU law and policy. Using qualitative research methods, I explore the role of food safety legislation and private governance in creating value out of food waste and surplus.

I am also training to be an educator. I’m currently following the Dutch university teaching qualification programme (basis kwalificatie onderwijs). I teach selected undergraduate courses at Maastricht University’s campus in Venlo.

Alongside my academic career, I have worked as a food writer for a Mumbai-based start-up, edited Wageningen’s university magazine, interned as a food safety specialist at a science communication agency in Brussels, and gained hands-on experience in animal feed safety at a certification authority in the Netherlands. Currently, I freelance as a (food) science communicator. I create science-based content that explains how our food is produced, its social and environmental impact, and what food systems of the future might look like.

When I’m not working, I’m cooking up a storm in the kitchen, engaging in Twitter banter, trying to get my cat to do tricks, watching Korean dramas, or learning the Dutch language.